Wroth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Wroth family

The surname Wroth was first found in Kent at Wrotham, a parish, and formerly a market-town, in the union of Malling, hundred of Wrotham, lathe of Aylesford. "This place, which is of remote antiquity, was probably a town of the Britons, various discoveries having been made of British coins, and of fragments of brass armour and military weapons. Other circumstances lead to the conclusion that it was afterwards a Roman station: the military way from Oldborough to Stane-street passed through it." 1

Another source notes that "Wroth is at present a Kingsbridge [(Devon)] name. " 2

Both are very rare, but the Roth variant is more numerous. In this case, the name was for "the red-haired or ruddy-complexioned man; one who came from Roth (red.) " 3

William de Wrotham (d. 1217), was an English judge, "the grandson of Geoffrey de Wrotham of Baddenville, near Wrotham in Kent, a domestic servant of several archbishops of Canterbury, including Hubert Walter, who gave him lands near Wrotham, Kent. By his wife, Maud de Cornhill, Geoffrey was father of William de Wrotham (d. 1208?), who was sheriff of Devonshire in 1198, acted as justiciar in the reigns of Richard I and John, and married Muriel de Lydd. As he survived until about 1208, it is difficult to distinguish him from his son, but apparently it was the son who was custos of the stanneries of Devonshire and Cornwall from 1199 to 1213 " 4

Early History of the Wroth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wroth research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1516, 1540, 1541, 1546, 1550, 1558, 1573, 1576, 1587, 1603, 1606, 1613, 1618, 1619, 1622, 1629, 1630, 1639, 1641, 1642, 1645, 1650, 1651, 1661, 1671 and 1740 are included under the topic Early Wroth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wroth Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wroth, Wrothe, Roth, Rothe, Rotham, Roothem, Rootham, Wrothem and many more.

Early Notables of the Wroth family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Lady Mary Wroth (1587-1651), an English poet, best known for having written "The Countesse of Mountgomeries Urania"
Sir Thomas Wroth (1516-1573), an English courtier and politician, a supporter of the Protestant Reformation
Sir Robert Wroth (1540?-1606), an English politician born in Middlesex
Sir Henry Wroth (d. 1671), a Royalist during the civil wars and 'pensioner' of Charles I of England

Migration of the Wroth family to Ireland

Some of the Wroth family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 209 words (15 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wroth migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wroth Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Wroth, who landed in Virginia in 1663 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Wroth (post 1700) +

Lawrence Counselman Wroth (1884-1970), American historian
Lady Mary Wroth, English Renaissance poet
Sir Hector Wroth Lethbridge (1898-1978), 6th Baronet, British peer
Lieutenant General Sir Wroth Palmer Acland (1770-1816), British officer, son of Arthur Palmer Acland, of Fairfield
Sir Wroth Periam Christopher Lethbridge (1863-1950), 5th Baronet, British peer
Sir Wroth Acland Lethbridge (1831-1902), 4th Baronet, British peer

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)